More Israelis hooked on Internet
by Judy Siegel-Itzkovich
May 6, 2004
Jerusalem Post
Seventy percent of Israelis have a computer at home, the same
as last October, but the percentage hooked up to the Internet
increased from 46 percent to 54% during the past six months.
This is one of the findings of a Smith poll carried out for
Tel Aviv University's Interdisciplinary Center for Internet
Research headed by Eli Hacohen.
The survey, by Hanoch and Rafi Smith Research and Consulting,
polled a representative sample of 500 Israeli adults, with a
4% margin of error. Of those Israelis who are on-line, 81% use
ADSL or cable, compared to just 61% six months ago; 19% use a
dial-up connection, compared to 39% last October.
The average amount of time per day that Web surfers are on-line
has declined from 80 to 72 minutes - mostly because high-speed
Internet connections lets them accomplish what they want in
less time.
But some of those who are on-line - especially observant Jews -
use it only for e-mail and do not surf the Web.
E-mail and surfing the Web for information are the most popular
uses, but some use it for banking and shopping.
Chat groups and playing games on-line were the least popular
uses, with 11% and 13% respectively.
But heavy Internet users were much more likely to participate
in multiplayer games and in discussion and chat groups.
Ten percent of those who are on-line said they surf the Internet
and use e-mail at home for more than three hours a day.
Forty-five percent of those over the age of 50 and 60% of
those defined as having a low educational level have no computer
at home.
Only 17% of those with computers at home are not on-line at all,
more commonly among the Orthodox and haredi sectors (35%).
ADSL and cable connections are much more common among secular
and highly educated Jews (57% and 61% respectively).